This chapter discusses two separate but related aspects of the school environment: population, in relation to both class size and the size of the school, and crowding. Overcrowding affects the ...
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This chapter discusses two separate but related aspects of the school environment: population, in relation to both class size and the size of the school, and crowding. Overcrowding affects the performance and well-being of both students and teachers. Regardless of school size, overcrowding is a concern if the school is beyond its intended capacity. Population issues relate to both class size and the size of the school. Crowding is both a subjective experience and a measurable condition. Crowded conditions can be alleviated by modifying school size, class size, and furniture arrangements.Less

Crowding, Class Size, and School Size

Lorraine E. Maxwell

Published in print: 2006-08-31

This chapter discusses two separate but related aspects of the school environment: population, in relation to both class size and the size of the school, and crowding. Overcrowding affects the performance and well-being of both students and teachers. Regardless of school size, overcrowding is a concern if the school is beyond its intended capacity. Population issues relate to both class size and the size of the school. Crowding is both a subjective experience and a measurable condition. Crowded conditions can be alleviated by modifying school size, class size, and furniture arrangements.

One of the priorities of the New Labour government was education. Well before the 1997 General Election, the Labour party expressed its agenda of making education a top priority. In his 1996 speech, ...
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One of the priorities of the New Labour government was education. Well before the 1997 General Election, the Labour party expressed its agenda of making education a top priority. In his 1996 speech, Tony Blair said that the three highest priorities in government were ‘education, education, education’. In both the 1997 and 2001 election pledges, education was featured and promised. In 1997, Labour promised to cut class sizes to thirty or under for students ages five, six, and seven by using money from phasing out the assisted places scheme. In 2001, Labour pledged to increase the number of teachers by 10,000 and improve standards in secondary schools. And recently, Tony Blair reaffirmed Labour's commitment by stating that education was, is, and will continue to be the top priority of the government. This chapter assesses the impact of Labour's education policies by focusing on those designed to tackle educational inequalities. It examines the number of policies targeted at schools such as reducing class size, literacy and numeracy hours, Education Action Zones (EAZs), Key Stage tests, Excellence in Cities, and post-compulsory education policies such as Education Maintenance Allowance and changes to the post-16 curriculum. The chapter also explores how changes to Higher Education financing have affected the socio-economic make-up of university entrants and considers the prospects for the future.Less

Abigail McKnightHoward GlennersterRuth Lupton

Published in print: 2005-01-12

One of the priorities of the New Labour government was education. Well before the 1997 General Election, the Labour party expressed its agenda of making education a top priority. In his 1996 speech, Tony Blair said that the three highest priorities in government were ‘education, education, education’. In both the 1997 and 2001 election pledges, education was featured and promised. In 1997, Labour promised to cut class sizes to thirty or under for students ages five, six, and seven by using money from phasing out the assisted places scheme. In 2001, Labour pledged to increase the number of teachers by 10,000 and improve standards in secondary schools. And recently, Tony Blair reaffirmed Labour's commitment by stating that education was, is, and will continue to be the top priority of the government. This chapter assesses the impact of Labour's education policies by focusing on those designed to tackle educational inequalities. It examines the number of policies targeted at schools such as reducing class size, literacy and numeracy hours, Education Action Zones (EAZs), Key Stage tests, Excellence in Cities, and post-compulsory education policies such as Education Maintenance Allowance and changes to the post-16 curriculum. The chapter also explores how changes to Higher Education financing have affected the socio-economic make-up of university entrants and considers the prospects for the future.

An alarmingly high number of American students continue to lack proficiency in reading, maths, and science. The various attempts to address this problem have all too often resulted in “silver bullet” ...
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An alarmingly high number of American students continue to lack proficiency in reading, maths, and science. The various attempts to address this problem have all too often resulted in “silver bullet” solutions such as reducing class sizes or implementing voucher programs. But this book shows, improving literacy also requires an understanding of complex and interrelated social issues that shape a child's learning. The book presents the most up-to-date research on the diverse factors that relate to a child's literacy development, from preschool to early elementary school.Less

Improving Literacy in America : Guidelines from Research

Frederick J. MorrisonHeather BachmanCarol Connor

Published in print: 2005-05-10

An alarmingly high number of American students continue to lack proficiency in reading, maths, and science. The various attempts to address this problem have all too often resulted in “silver bullet” solutions such as reducing class sizes or implementing voucher programs. But this book shows, improving literacy also requires an understanding of complex and interrelated social issues that shape a child's learning. The book presents the most up-to-date research on the diverse factors that relate to a child's literacy development, from preschool to early elementary school.

This chapter offers recommendations for improving literacy in America, focusing particularly on reducing class size. Smaller classrooms succeed by focusing on proximal sources of influence that ...
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America's public universities educate 80% of the nation's college students. But in the wake of rising demands on state treasuries, changing demographics, growing income inequality, and legislative ...
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America's public universities educate 80% of the nation's college students. But in the wake of rising demands on state treasuries, changing demographics, growing income inequality, and legislative indifference, many of these institutions have fallen into decline. Tuition costs have skyrocketed, class sizes have gone up, the number of courses offered has gone down, and the overall quality of education has decreased significantly. This book draws on the author's years of experience as a professor, administrator, and university president to argue that a new compact between state government and public universities is needed to make these schools more affordable and financially secure. The book challenges a change-resistant culture in academia that places too low a premium on efficiency and productivity. Seeing a crisis of campus leadership, the book takes state legislators to task for perpetuating the decay of their public university systems and calls for reforms in the way university presidents and governing boards are selected. It concludes that the era is long past when state appropriations can enable public universities to keep their fees low and affordable. The book thus calls for the partial deregulation of public universities and a phase-out of their state appropriations. The plan outlined in this book would tie university revenues to their performance and exploit the competitive pressures of the academic marketplace to control costs, rein in tuition, and make schools more responsive to student needs.Less

Saving Alma Mater : A Rescue Plan for America's Public Universities

James C. Garland

Published in print: 2009-10-01

America's public universities educate 80% of the nation's college students. But in the wake of rising demands on state treasuries, changing demographics, growing income inequality, and legislative indifference, many of these institutions have fallen into decline. Tuition costs have skyrocketed, class sizes have gone up, the number of courses offered has gone down, and the overall quality of education has decreased significantly. This book draws on the author's years of experience as a professor, administrator, and university president to argue that a new compact between state government and public universities is needed to make these schools more affordable and financially secure. The book challenges a change-resistant culture in academia that places too low a premium on efficiency and productivity. Seeing a crisis of campus leadership, the book takes state legislators to task for perpetuating the decay of their public university systems and calls for reforms in the way university presidents and governing boards are selected. It concludes that the era is long past when state appropriations can enable public universities to keep their fees low and affordable. The book thus calls for the partial deregulation of public universities and a phase-out of their state appropriations. The plan outlined in this book would tie university revenues to their performance and exploit the competitive pressures of the academic marketplace to control costs, rein in tuition, and make schools more responsive to student needs.

As Laura looked back on the two years, she knew she had succeeded in educating her students not only for competence, but also for caring. How long this competence would last, Laura did not know. Many ...
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As Laura looked back on the two years, she knew she had succeeded in educating her students not only for competence, but also for caring. How long this competence would last, Laura did not know. Many things contributed to her success. Laura’s class of approximately 20 students was mostly self-contained, and many students were in the class for two years, allowing her time to bond with them. Laura’s school was part of the Child Development Project which advocated and supported Laura’s teaching style and philosophy. Laura’s principal was supportive, and she had a trusted colleague who would help when some students presented serious problems. Would her students go on to lead successful lives? Many faced huge obstacles. Some might not make it. But she felt confident she had succeeded in helping each of them make real progress.Less

Finding the Conditions for Success

Marilyn Watson

Published in print: 2018-09-28

As Laura looked back on the two years, she knew she had succeeded in educating her students not only for competence, but also for caring. How long this competence would last, Laura did not know. Many things contributed to her success. Laura’s class of approximately 20 students was mostly self-contained, and many students were in the class for two years, allowing her time to bond with them. Laura’s school was part of the Child Development Project which advocated and supported Laura’s teaching style and philosophy. Laura’s principal was supportive, and she had a trusted colleague who would help when some students presented serious problems. Would her students go on to lead successful lives? Many faced huge obstacles. Some might not make it. But she felt confident she had succeeded in helping each of them make real progress.

This chapter begins with a discussion of two cases where policies with “good evidence” went wrong: the Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Project and the California Class-Size Reduction Program. It then ...
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This chapter begins with a discussion of two cases where policies with “good evidence” went wrong: the Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Project and the California Class-Size Reduction Program. It then sets out the book's purpose, which is to provide a general framework for understanding what went wrong in these two cases. This framework will provide readers with the kinds of questions that must be answered to make better predictions about whether a proposed program will work, and how and when to implement the program.Less

What’s in This Book and Why

Nancy CartwrightJeremy Hardie

Published in print: 2012-09-27

This chapter begins with a discussion of two cases where policies with “good evidence” went wrong: the Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Project and the California Class-Size Reduction Program. It then sets out the book's purpose, which is to provide a general framework for understanding what went wrong in these two cases. This framework will provide readers with the kinds of questions that must be answered to make better predictions about whether a proposed program will work, and how and when to implement the program.